In terms of thermodynamic properties, the thermal conductivity of pure silk is only 0.04 W/m·K, which is 33% lower than that of cotton (0.06 W/m·K) and 71% lower than that of polyester fiber (0.14 W/m·K). This means that in a 0℃ environment, pure silk gloves can reduce the rate of heat loss from the hands to 0.2℃ per minute, while cotton and polyester gloves are 0.3℃ and 0.7℃ respectively. Tests conducted by the Swiss Federal Materials Laboratory in 2023 showed that when wearing pure silk gloves with a density of 6.5 grams /m², the fluctuation range of hand skin temperature was only ±1.2℃, which was significantly better than that of cotton (±2.8℃) and polyester (±3.5℃) materials. This feature makes pure silk the first choice for skiers in the temperature range of -10℃ to 5℃. The equipment list of the Norwegian Winter Olympic team shows that 83% of the glove linings are made of 19-millimeter pure silk material.
Analyzed from the perspective of humidity management, the moisture absorption rate of pure silk reaches 30% (by weight), which is 75 times that of polyester fiber (0.4%), and it can expand the sweat diffusion area to 2.3 times that of cotton material within 120 seconds. The nanoscale pure silk fabric developed by Toray Group of Japan in 2022 has a water evaporation rate of 0.18g/m²·s, which is 40% faster than that of traditional cotton fabrics. In the medical field, a study by the Mayo Clinic on chemotherapy patients shows that the use of pure silk gloves can reduce the incidence of dry hand skin from 37% of cotton products to 12%, because its amino acid components can maintain the moisture content of the stratum corneum within the ideal range of 15%-18%, while cotton products are prone to cause moisture content fluctuations within 9%-25%.
Laboratory data on antibacterial performance show that the sericin component in pure silk protein has an inhibition rate of 89% against Staphylococcus aureus, while polyester fibers breed bacteria under the same conditions, and the number of colonies increases by 300% within 24 hours. The 2021 report of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK pointed out that when postoperative patients used pure silk gloves, the probability of skin infection was 2.3%, significantly lower than 6.8% for cotton products and 11.4% for polyester. This characteristic is particularly important in the field of piano performance – a Steinway artist survey shows that 92% of players choose pure silk gloves for key wiping because the smoothness of its fiber surface (Ra 0.8μm) is four times higher than that of cotton (Ra 3.2μm), which can reduce the residue of microorganisms on the ivory key surface.
The economic comparison shows that although the initial cost of pure silk gloves (45-80) is higher than that of cotton (10-25) and polyester (5-15), its service life reaches 5-8 years, which is three times that of polyester products. Supply chain data from French luxury brand Hermes shows that after 2,000 bending tests, the tear resistance of 22 Mmi * * puresilkgloves * * only decreased by 129, lower than that of cotton (12) and polyester (18), as it reduced the replacement frequency by 60%.
In terms of environmental benefits, the carbon footprint of the production process of pure silk is 3.2kg CO2/kg, which is 67% lower than that of polyester (9.8kg CO2/kg). The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification shows that the ecotoxicity index of pure silk gloves is 89% lower than that of chemical fibers. During Milan Fashion Week 2023, Gucci launched the biodegradable pure silk gloves collection, which decomposed 98% in the soil within 180 days, while polyester fibers take more than 500 years. This sustainable feature has driven the annual growth rate of the pure silk category in the global high-end glove market to 14.5% (Statista, 2024), and the penetration rate is expected to increase from 18% in 2022 to 39% in 2030 under the carbon neutrality policy.